


Fallen Down

by MiniNephthys



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 15:24:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5210936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asgore decides to do nothing.  More humans enter the underground.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fallen Down

The future of humans and monsters is gone, the hope of the underground is gone, his children are gone, and Asgore-

-does nothing. He grieves for a long, long time. He does not try to hide his mourning: no one would believe him even if he made halfhearted attempts to conceal it.

Toriel stays with him. They feel more like strangers now, who happen to sit next to each other; their warmth left them for the surface, and died. But at least she is still there; she knows he could never continue alone.

The underground grieves alongside him. They build statues in Waterfall of the crown prince, and then, upon Asgore’s quiet request, build more statues alongside them of the human that had been so dear to him.

There is no hope left for anyone. Even if another human were to fall into the underground, and even if they were to try and help them, how could they believe in a peaceful return to the surface when even Asriel, sweet Asriel who never meant harm to anyone, had been killed merely for setting foot there?

So the monsters of the underground settle into their despair, and continue living their colorless lives. That’s simply the way things will have to be.

* * *

Another human falls.

A guard finds her first. Recognizing her shape from the statues, and at a loss for what to do with her, he directs her to the capitol, protecting her from the ire of a few monsters on the way. It is a guard’s job to protect the innocent, after all.

She is tiny, and afraid when she sees Asgore’s towering form. She clutches her plastic knife tighter in her hands and trembles when he approaches her.

He is equally at a loss. The idea of using a human soul to escape the barrier has never completely left his mind, but-

He looks back at Toriel. Toriel shakes her head. He looks down at the shivering human, and holds out his empty hand.

“There, now,” he says. “Do not be afraid. I will not harm you.”

He could not. Not now. If he meant any harm to humans as a whole, now was not the time to begin a vendetta. A small, frightened child was not the right way to start a war.

The girl hesitates before taking his hand in hers. Her hand is much softer than his.

“You must have traveled a long way,” he says. She nods. “Would you like a cup of tea?”

She gives him a tiny smile.

* * *

Another human falls.

He, too, is escorted all the way from the ruins to the capital. This time, none of the monsters hassle him on the way there. They’re used to humans, now.

He meets the girl first: they were warned of his coming, and Asgore still does not know precisely how best to greet human children, but...

“It’s okay,” she says to the boy. “Asgore is really nice. You’ll be okay now, so don’t be scared.”

“I wasn’t scared,” he says, with a trembling upper lip. “I-I’m tough.”

She smiles like she knows that’s a lie. “Wellll, if you weren’t, you’d still be okay. Okay?”

“Okay,” he says. “I wanna meet the king now.”

* * *

Another human falls.

She lashes out when a guard comes to get her, kicking and scratching. Even if she is a child, it takes two more guards to safely restrain her and get her all the way to the capitol. She draws plenty of attention on the way from all her screaming.

“Let me go let me go let me go you monsters-!!”

The other two children look sympathetic when the guards drop her in front of them and ask them to please try and calm her down.

“Hey, it’s okay,” says the boy. “Nobody here’s gonna hurt you.”

“But they’re monsters,” she says, glaring at him. “Are you a monster too?”

“We’re humans,” the older girl says. “But monsters aren’t as bad as you’ve heard. They’re just like any other kind of people.”

“I don’t believe you.” She hugs herself tightly. “And they were so mean to me on the way here! Three guards against one girl, how dare they-”

“You could’ve killed them,” he says, a little too bluntly. She winces. “That’s not okay.”

“I... they’re just monsters,” the girl says. “I was just protecting myself...”

The first girl sighs. “Do you think you’re calm enough to meet the king now? He’s nice, I promise. He won’t hurt you even if you try to hurt him. -But please don’t try to hurt him.”

“...Okay. I believe you. Maybe.”

* * *

Another human falls.

They come along much more quietly, though they’re jumpy at every new monster who crosses their path, and by the time they make it to the other humans, they’re a nervous wreck.

The first girl, a woman now, crouches to be closer to their level. “It’s okay. Nobody’s going to hurt you here.”

“I-I know,” they say, and fidget with their clouded glasses. “Nobody has so far, but... it’s still really scary.”

“It’s pretty scary, falling in here,” a teenage girl says. “But they’re all way too nice for their own good. They keep adopting kids like us.”

An older teenager nods his head. “Wherever you were from... This is probably a lot safer for you.”

The child trembles for a moment, then finally starts to bawl.

* * *

Another human falls.

He follows the guards eagerly (the royal guard has started to send at least two along after Ms. Ballet Shoes fell), stopping them almost constantly to explore the underground or ask about something or other, and it takes them a long time to get to the capitol.

“There are humans here!” he says upon sighting one of them, and dashes all the rest of the way to talk to the other child. “Hey, how long have you been here? What’s it like, living with monsters?”

“A-a couple years now,” the child stammers. “And, um. It’s nice? It’s really nice.”

“That’s great!” he says. “I hope we can be friends!”

They smile, shyly. “We’re all kind of family now. Unless, you don’t want to be?”

“I totally want to be family with you!!”

* * *

Another human falls.

She points her empty gun at the guards when they show up, but after they make it clear to her that they’re not intending to harm her, puts it away and follows along. She’s talkative the whole time, a nervous kind of chat.

When she spots the other humans, she breaks into a run, clinging to the first one she sees (a boy not much older than her, who hugs her back).

“It’s going to be alright.” An older woman is the first to speak, and the others chime in to agree with her.

The girl nods. “Y...yeah. I knew it would be okay, all along.”

* * *

Yet another human falls down, deep, deep into the underground.


End file.
